Lumen Histoire
by WhimsicottMoon
Summary: Mavis' story... through Precht's eyes. From that first day in Hargeon to the founding of Fairy Tail, Mavis' friendship with the three treasure hunters grew. Together, they learned magic, founded Fairy Tail, and won wars. But just when it seemed the world was at their feet, tragedy struck. How will Precht cope with her curse... and her death?
1. Second Thoughts

She was a curiosity. She had beaten Yuri in his own game of wits and discovered an underwater temple… and brought back treasure at that. She had lived on an island for 7 years by herself, save for the imaginary friend that she was always talking with. Her cheerful chattering filled the emptiness of the ship.

But honestly, Precht felt uneasy. Warren and Yuri were enough - why had they taken in this mysterious girl who was so obsessed with fairies? Mavis Vermillion… just who was she?

* * *

While Warren and Yuri exchanged sarcastic banter, Precht watched her from behind his cloak. She skipped around the marketplace, trying on trinkets, smelling flowers, and tasting candy. How had this simple, excitable little girl outwitted Yuri so easily? Did the guy have some kind of brain damage? She didn't even _look_ thirteen.

Mavis ran up to them, bubbling with excitement. "Zera found us a place to stay for the night!" She gestured emphatically towards a cloud of thin air situated vaguely in front of him.

Yuri grinned. "Good thinking. We might even have to spend a couple _days_ here gathering information."

Precht looked at Mavis again and looked away, mildly appalled. Warren turned to him with a worried expression. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What's wrong? You seem tense."

Precht merely grimaced. "I'm having some second thoughts on what we brought back from Tenrou." He walked away from the group despite Warren's protests. "We won't find anything about Blue Skull standing around here. I'll meet you at the hotel later."

"I'd love to come with you, if you don't mind!" Precht stared back at the bubbly pink-clad girl running after him. "You're always so quiet that I don't feel like I've really gotten the chance to get to know you." She smiled lopsidedly at him.

This was just _great._ How the hell was he supposed to find information about Blue Skull with _her_ running around behind him? He was a treasure hunter, not a babysitter.

Precht sighed. "Fine. Suit yourself."

"You can rest while we go and explore!" Mavis yelled back at Yuri and Warren. "See you in a little while, Zera!"

* * *

Precht tried desperately to ignore the little girl that trailed behind him as they made their way through the streets of Hargeon. She was busy admiring the sights and marveling at the abundance of restaurants. Hargeon wasn't even a particularly large town, just a small port… but he supposed that for someone stuck on Tenrou Island for seven years, it was quite impressive. Yuri had the right of the situation, it seemed; Mavis _was_ experiencing a case of severe culture shock.

Mavis ran in front of him. "Hey, do you think we should stop and get something to eat?

Precht ignored her and kept walking.

"Wait for me!" She ran forward and grabbed his cape. "Why are you so quiet? You _know_ you don't have to be shy around _me_."

How was he supposed to tell her that he wasn't shy, he just had a job to do and she was interfering?

"I'm not shy, I just don't have anything to say to you." He couldn't find a nicer way to express his feelings, but he almost regretted it as the words left his mouth. Would she get upset? Would she cry? But as the words left his mouth, he realized the truth of them. Maybe he wasn't so much annoyed with her so much as he had no idea what to say to her. She was just so cheerful, so pink, and so… he didn't know what it was, but there was something about her that made the room she stood in come alive.

"Okay, I understand." She released his cape. "And I appreciate your being so honest with me."

She made a slight bow towards him and his eyes widened in surprise. She… wasn't upset?

"But the truth of the matter is you actually don't have to think of anything to say." She continued, "All I want is for you to share your knowledge. This is all so new to me! I've never been to a city before, but I imagine you've visited many of them in your treasure-hunting adventures!" She placed a hand on her heart. "So I just wanted to learn some things from you. I have a lot of questions about the outside world, and I'm sure that you have just as many answers!"

* * *

Authors Note: Hi everyone!

I don't own any of the characters, and the dialogue of this chapter is based on the anime. :)


	2. Oddities

Precht slumped on the edge of the fountain with Mavis sitting next to him, staring with an unreadable expression. She had just seen him yell at an old man, chop down a tree in the park, jump in front of a cart, and flip up a lady's skirt. As strange as _she_ was, she undoubtedly thought the same way that everyone thought about him: he was creepy, bipolar, suicidal, or perverted. At any rate, little Miss Oddball probably thought he was… odd.

Precht smoldered in frustration and embarrassment as he wondered what he should do next. Should he pretend nothing happened? Should he explain that he really meant no harm and wanted to help? He had tried to ask the man where Blue Skull was, tell the cart driver about the loose screw on his rear wheel, save the lady from the wasp buzzing lazily behind her, and warn the boy in the park that the tree was rotten.

He watched as the people passing by glared at him with worried or terrified expressions plastered on their faces.

"You seem to have attracted a lot of attention to yourself." Mavis laughed. "And not in a good way, unfortunately."

Precht looked down at his boots. "It happens all the time."

Mavis just smiled at him. "You shouldn't let it get you down, though. I mean, you didn't really do anything wrong, did you?"

Precht looked down sideways at the tiny girl. "Of course not. And I don't need consoling."

Mavis' smile dropped as her face turned serious. "I'm not trying to _console_ you. All I'm doing is telling you about what I think about what just happened."

Precht finally turned to face Mavis. So she didn't think he was crazy?

"You strike me as the type of person who's misunderstood a lot, but that's only because… you're more honest than most people, and so… they can be easily intimidated by the way you are. Everything you do is guided by your personal code of honor. I guess that must be a fairly rare character trait in the world today. So, there's nothing to be ashamed or scared of. You should be proud, and hold your head high!" Precht blinked at her in disbelief. She thought he should be… proud? Mavis hesitated, then grinned sheepishly. "Well, that's what I read in a book about personalities. Seeing how you carry yourself and how people react to you just made me think of it."

Precht was shocked. This cheerful little fairy-girl was much more than a hyperactive child. He already knew her head was crammed with things she'd read over the years, but this… he didn't expect _this._ He looked away and made a dismissive noise to hide his blush. She didn't see a creepy pervert… she saw a personality case to analyze and take notes on. An obsessive brainiac to the end, he supposed.

Maybe it just took an oddball to understand oddities.

* * *

Author's Note: Hi Everyone!

I don't own any of the characters, and the dialogue for this chapter is based on the anime.


	3. Blue Skull

They were a strange sight to see: a tall, grave man with a chilling demeanor trailed by a fairy-like little girl with nearly floor length blond hair, speed walking through Hargeon. The two made their way through the bustling port city.

Precht muttered incoherently to himself as he tried to keep an eye on Mavis behind him. They were heading to a seedy bar across town, and the scenery around them was quickly deteriorating; the buildings became increasingly run down, the crowds grew thin, and the streets were darker.

Mavis pointed to the right excitedly. "There it is!"

* * *

Precht burst through the doors of the bar and the room fell silent as his tall shadow swept across the floor. As all the men in the chairs turned to stare at him, he heard them whispering among themselves. The bartender looked on with mild interest, before grimacing and returning to pouring drinks. Precht strode across the room and paused in front of the bar, when suddenly, he heard the gasps of surprise, splattering ale, and shattering glass.

He looked down out of the corner of his eye and realized it was because Mavis had made her appearance. He supposed little girls in pink dresses weren't common at shady bars. She looked around the bar as if she were still in the marketplace. "Ah, okay. So this is what a real bar looks like." She looked back up at him. "Do they all smell like this one? It has a very peculiar odor."

A burly man walked over and leered down at her. "Oh yeah? Is that so."

Mavis cringed. It didn't sound like a question. "Wait! I didn't mean anything bad..."

Precht walked to the barman as Mavis scampered behind him. One of the men sitting at the bar leaned back to look at him. "No kids allowed, pal. You wanna drink, you'll have to leave the rug rat outside."

Mavis peered out from behind Precht and frowned at the man. "Yes, but we're not here to drink. We actually just came to talk with the bartender."

A chorus of low chuckles rang out from the men sitting at the tables. "Hear that? She just came for the conversation."

The bartender turned to Precht. "Well friend, who are ya?"

"The name's Precht. I'm a treasure hunter."

"Yeah? A grave robber, huh? So what kind of business could you have at my bar? And speaking of business, that's what this bar is. You dig?"

Mavis stood up on her tip toes to see above the counter and glare at the barman intensely.

Precht sighed. This wouldn't be quick and easy. "Then pour me a drink."

"Mead or on the rocks?"

"Rocks." Precht continued, "Word on the street is that you know a whole lot of people."

"That I do." Ice clinked in the cup as a sly grin etched itself into the barman's face. "Comes with the territory, I suppose. What of it?"

"We're looking for a guild named Blue Skull. Sound familiar?"

The barman didn't even blink. "Blue Skull, eh? Sorry pal, haven't heard of a guild with that name around these parts. Can't help ya."

"Come on. Just think a little harder."

"You'll have to ask someone else." The barman turned around and put away the bottle.

"I find it extremely surprising that you haven't even heard it mentioned."

"There's a lot of new wizard guilds with crazy names, but that one ain't ringin' any bells."

Mavis's frown deepened as she continued to glare at the bartender. Her dainty little ankles shook as she struggled to keep above eye level with the counter.

The bartender looked down at her. "Can I get you a glass of milk?"

"No thanks," Mavis said. "We're here for information."

"Well, I ain't got any. So you two hit the bricks." The bartender sneered. "Maybe you'd have better luck... asking somebody at the toy store!" The man at the tables erupted in raucous laughter.

Precht let out an exasperated sigh and turned to walk away, but Mavis wasn't even fazed. She remained where she was, arms and legs shaking as she struggled to continue glaring at the bartender. Precht paused, but he didn't hear her frenzied scurrying behind him. "Let's get out of here."

Mavis stayed where she was, and the men kept laughing. "Wait a second." Her intense glare never faltered. "If you've never heard of them, how did you know Blue Skull is a wizard guild?"

Precht froze. Mavis was right. The bartender's composure shattered and all the laughter in the bar died.

"There are a lot of different types of guilds out there," Mavis continued. "There's fighting guilds, commercial guilds, all kinds of them, really. Yet you specifically identified Blue Skull as a wizard guild. So _that_ would lead me to believe that you _do_ know about it."

The bartender scratched his head, and discomfort was written across the man's every feature. Mavis must have struck on something important. "Yeah well... lucky guess." He looked at the other men in the bar, who slowly rose out of this seats. Precht tensed.

Men holding broken bottles and stools leered down at Mavis, but Precht lunged and put himself behind her. Mavis glanced behind herself and gasped.

Suddenly, the man with the stool lunged towards her. But Precht disarmed him just as quickly, grabbing Mavis and carrying her under his right arm like a puppy. He evaded the man with the broken bottle and calmly informed the rest of the bar, "You're making a mistake."

The bartender gritted his teeth. "He's just one guy! Let's get him!"

Men all around the bar surrounded Precht, and his grip on Mavis tightened. She shook as men with table legs, stools, knives, and bottles formed a circle around them.

Precht merely raised his left hand, and the tip of a dagger slid out. He launched it at a line of men, and the flat of the blade knocked them over, one by one. "I dance with blades. They move at my command!" He stood triumphantly among the unconscious men that littered the ground.

The bartender reached for a rope hanging next to him and smiled as he pulled it down. " _You_ made the _real_ mistake today." Panels in the floor flipped up to surround Precht and Mavis. They were inscribed with angular characters, and they began to glow as the circle was completed. " _You_ messed with a wizard."

For once, Precht didn't seem so calm and collected. "A magic circle!"

The bartender laughed and unbuttoned his collar, to reveal a black skull inked beneath his collar bone. The movement didn't escape Mavis. "Do you see his tattoo? That's Blue Skull's guild mark!"

Precht scowled. "So he was a member after all. I knew he was lying." _Something just didn't seem right about him earlier._ "Damn you!"

Precht moved towards the bartender, but the man raised his hand to stop him. "You better stay right where you are." A sly smile flitted across the bartender's features, and Precht froze in place. "You set one foot outside that magic circle, we'll be cleaning you off the ceiling." The bartender began to pour a drink for himself. "You should have done your homework. Blue Skull is a dark guild. We don't take regular jobs like those other losers. Since that's the case, we need somebody to hang out at all the shady spots to find out about all the shady gigs that the others are too scared to take on." He raised the glass to Precht, then downed its contents. "So I'm here to collect information myself."

Precht raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're just an underling?"

"That's right," the man bragged. Then he stopped. "Wait a sec. I ain't takin' any insults from you!"

Precht glanced downwards to find Mavis curled up on the ground, staring intently at one of the runes bordering the magic circle. "Um... what exactly are you doing down there?"

Mavis looked at two different characters, back and forth, back and forth. "Hmm... I think this character is used incorrectly." The bartender froze. Mavis continued happily, "This is supposed to be a barrier enchantment. It's made up of characters from the Lisan alphabet. But this one doesn't fit in with the rest. It is pretty close, though!" She smiled delightedly up at Precht. "That means..."

Mavis skipped across the barrier, despite Precht's frantic protests. "This magic circle doesn't work!" She twirled happily. "So you can step outside of it without a care in the world!"

The bartender cursed at her from across the room. "Why you... little brat!"

If little girls with pink dresses and fairy wings could look terrifying, Mavis certainly did. " I didn't tell you earlier, but I happen to know about magic too!" she declared.

The bartender's expression of shock was quite satisfying. Precht walked up behind her. "You can use magic?"

Mavis laughed. "Yes indeed! I studied it for seven years straight. Wanna see? I'll show you one of my _favorite_ spells."

She raised her arms, and a golden aura began to smoke and sizzle off her arms. "Come forth, ancient and sacred guardian beast from the heavens... Tenrou!" A fierce wolf the size of the bar materialized behind her, glowing with the same golden aura. Blue fire sparked in its fur, and its jade green eyes were filled with hunger as it snarled at the barman. He stood there and screamed, glued to the spot in fear, and Precht was at a loss for words. _How could...? How did she...? What is that... beast?_

As the barman shook in fear, Mavis' face deformed into a terrifying mask. "Now are you going to tell us where we can find Blue Skull?" she asked. Gold light rolled of her skin and the wolf's fur. "You should."

* * *

Precht was still too shocked to even look at Mavis on their return to the hotel. The barman had confessed all in the shadow of the growling beast, fearing the moment when the monstrous creature would pounce and devour him. Precht personally resolved to tread carefully when dealing with the little girl from then on.

He jumped when Mavis addressed him. "You do know it was an illusion, right?"

"That was an illusion!?" Precht hadn't even thought of that.

"Oh yeah." Mavis giggled.

"You mean that giant creature was just a giant bluff."

"That's the kind of magic I use!" She grinned back at him as she skipped forwards.

Precht stopped in his tracks as he realized something. The preexisting agreement was that Mavis would help him, Yuri, and Warrod find the Tenrou Orb, which had been seized by Blue Skull seven years prior. If Mavis was so powerful... how were they supposed to ensure that Mavis wouldn't end up with the orb and them with nothing?

Mavis turned around to smile innocently at him. "All we have to do is combine our powers, and we can reach our goal!" Her cheery grin widened. "The Tenrou Orb is _practically_ in our hands! Now we know our enemy's location: a city to the west of here! Let's go to Magnolia!"

Mavis ran ahead, laughing. "Oh, I can't wait to tell the others!"

Precht walked stiffly behind her. "Be careful running around like that."

Mavis ran past a man wearing a toga and tripped over her own feet. "Owieee!" she squealed.

Precht sighed. "You see, I told you to be careful, didn't I?"

"I don't know, I wasn't listening!" Mavis whined as Precht picked her off the floor.

Precht let loose an inward sigh of relief. No matter how powerful she was, Mavis was still a clumsy little fairy girl from time to time.

* * *

Author's Note: Hi Everyone! :3

I don't own any of the characters/Fairy Tail, and the events in this chapter are based off the anime.


	4. Invincible

Precht tried to ignore the burning in his eye socket as he sat and remembered the events of the past few days. There had been enough going on so that he didn't have the time to simply sit and think.

He remembered eating meals cooked over a campfire with Mavis, Yuri, and Warren... laughing and talking about their previous adventures, acting the out for Mavis... and he remembered that town. _Magnolia_. Blue Skull had taken it over, subjugated it in every way. The townspeople, the town, all of it - those damned wizards treated them like property.

They had tried to take on the wizards... and he... he lost his right eye.

* * *

Precht heard a loud crunching noise and turned to see Mavis crashing through a thicket of trees, pulling a strange boy in a toga with her.

Yuri groaned and pulled himself off the makeshift bed and Warren asked, "Who is this guy?"

Distrust flashed across their faces, but Mavis giggled nervously and gestured at the stranger. After a long silence, she finally burst out, "He's here to teach us magic!"

* * *

Silver energy fizzled on Precht's shoulders as power suddenly flowed through his veins. _So this what magic feels like._

It felt like a dam had been broken. A resonating hum buzzed in his skull, and his hands tingled with liquid silver. Precht felt invincible. With this power, he could conquer the world. With this power, he could take the Tenrou Orb, couldn't he?

 _With this power... I can be invincible, can't I?_


	5. Tenrou's Secret

Precht and Yuri burst through the doors in an explosion of lightning that lit up the sky.

Precht fought to conceal the smirk that was forming under the collar of his cape as shouts of "Enemy raid!" and panicked voices filled the cathedral that was now the home base of Blue Skull.

As the hordes of men flew at them, brandishing staffs and faces contorted with fury, Yuri turned to Precht and grinned. "The party's starting!"

"This ought to be fun," Precth replied. _Now my power will really be put to the test._

Yuri's lightning sent cracks racing through the marble floor, and Precht's magical chains incapacitated the horde of men standing before him. A real smile swept across Precht's face as he backed into Yuri. "Not bad at all."

* * *

Precht gasped for air as he surveyed the floor, littered with unconscious mages. "Mavis' plan worked out perfectly."

Yuri held up a fist, electric sparks still dancing across the back of his hands. "Oh man, this power is unreal!" _Just what I was thinking myself, Yuri._

Yuri turned away and froze, his eyes glued to something behind them.

Precht cast a sidelong glance at Yuri. "What's wrong? What is it?"

Yuri's stare didn't waver in the slightest. "There's our treasure. Sitting right there. It's the Tenrou Orb."

Precht followed Yuri's stunned gaze. There it was - a glittering, multi-hued orb, balanced on a cushion and surrounded by candles.

Just then, Mavis burst through the door. "Yuri! Precht! Wait, there's one thing- "

Yuri cut her off with a laugh. "What do you think of what we did here? Aren't you impressed? Using magic like this is pretty awesome."

Mavis ignored him and shrieked, "Where's the Tenrou Orb?"

Yuri leered at her. "Yeah, I guess it's time to talk about that. Don't you remember? We all had the same goal going in up until this point. But afterwards... that's were it get's tricky."

"Are you saying you found it?" Mavis' voice was desperate now, laced with something that almost sounded like sorrow... or was it horror?

Yuri grinned and tossed the orb up and down in one hand. "Yes, and as a matter of fact, it's right here! And I'm _not_ going to let go of it."

Precht tensed. _We might have to fight Mavis after all._

"Put it down, it's dangerous!" Mavis really did sound desperate now. _What is this? Another one of her ploys?_

Yuri continued, "This is Tenrou's sacred stone, passed down for generations, right?

"I'm serious! The orb's cursed! It has a dark secret I was never told about! I'm begging you, please listen to me!" Mavis shook her head, panicking. "What you're holding is pure evil!"

Though Yuri's smile only widened, her last words caught Precht's attention. "What the hell do you mean?"


	6. Damn Yuri

"Long ago, the Tenrou Orb absorbed massive amounts of evil magic energy. It was impossible to control so it was taken to Tenrou Island to keep people away from it. Any human who touches it will succumb to its curse. The evil energy will consume you, you'll die!"

Precht believed her. "Yuri, put it down right now!"

"Oh please, do you actually believe this crap that she's telling us?"

"I'm telling you the truth!"

"I don't buy it! You might be a crafty little thing but I'm not buying this one. You just want it for yourself, and you think this is the only way I'll give it up!"

 _No, Mavis... she wouldn't, would she?_

"Please, Yuri, you have to put it down!" Mavis was pleading now, her voice cracking with fear.

"I told you, this treasure is mine, you can't have it!"

A harsh blue light flooded forth from the Tenrou Orb in Yuri's hand, and Yuri began to scream in pain.

When the light faded, so did Yuri.

* * *

The ceiling was raining down on them, and Mavis was gibbering away to the empty air.

"What just happened?" _Damn Yuri, what the hell did you get yourself into this time?_

Mavis answered. "He was taken over by that evil energy. And then it possessed a symbol of evil to gain a more destructive, physical form."

They raced outside the cathedral to see a behemoth dragon skeleton, bones a deep navy, rampaging through the town.

Precht panicked. Yuri had done some impressively stupid things before, but this was by far the most dangerous. "Wait, are you saying that Yuri is inside of that dragon?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it." The dragon crushed a building with a claw.

"What's going to happen to Yuri?"

For once, the little girl had no answer. She turned and ran back into the cathedral, her lolita dress swishing behind her.

"Wait, Mavis, where are you going?"

Precht turned to follow her, but she had already vanished into the dark depths of the crumbling cathedral, and all that was left was the echo of her bare feet against the stone tile.


	7. Her Friends

Precht scrambled after her, following the sound of her feet and the glimpses of blue ribbon and blond hair that trailed behind her as she turned corners. By the time he caught up with her, she was standing on the roof of the cathedral and attempting to reason with the massive skeleton.

"Yuri, can you hear me?"

A vicious roar was all she received in response.

"You have to stop this! You're hurting innocent people! We came to protect them! Think about how many lives are at stake!"

The townspeople were running from the dragon's path of destruction, sweeping up toddling children who fell behind in their arms.

"Please Yuri! I know deep inside you're a good person who wouldn't hurt anybody!" Mavis was in tears. "Please, Yuri, you have to stop and listen to me!"

The giant bone dragon lumbered closer to the cathedral. Suddenly, a bright blue vortex of energy began to concentrate in its massive jaws, and Precht sprinted towards Mavis.

He leaped down from the building with Mavis in his arms just as the energy came darting towards them, shattering the cathedral's tall stone arches.

He glared down at the little girl. "You can't be so reckless!"

She blinked in surprise, still processing what he had just done. "You... you just saved my life!"

He put her down and looked up at the dragon. _We're all treasure hunters. We know the danger that accompanies the job, and we accepted the consequences long ago._ "That _thing_ is not Yuri. It's a monster and a threat to everyone here. Our only choice is to use our magic, to kill it before it kills us."

"You're wrong." Mavis looked down at her feet, and her bangs fell over her eyes. "I _know_ Yuri's still in there." She grabbed hold of Precht's sleeve. "I'll save him, _and_ I'll save the city, but nobody is going to die today."

"How?" Precht growled in frustration. _Damn it, Mavis, I want to save him too, believe me..._ "It's impossible!" _We can't afford to throw away this many lives for your childish ideals - these things only work out in your books, Mavis. Not in the real world, not outside your little library on Tenrou Island._

She began to walk towards the dragon. "I just need to get as close to him as I can."

"It's too dangerous!"

She turned to look back at him, her usual childish demeanor gone. "Walking hand in hand with danger, without fear. Isn't that the treasure hunter way?"

"But _you_ aren't a treasure hunter!" The last thing they needed was to lose Mavis too. He'd been able to protect her before from men in a bar and even the occasional wizard - but this, _this_ was completely different.

"I am." Mavis gazed upon the desolate scene of destruction, the crumbling town of Magnolia before them. "I've looked, for so long. My treasure is right here, and it's more valuable than anything else! My friends mean everything to me."

 _Her friends..._

"So I can't let Yuri be taken. No matter what. Because what I treasure most in the world are the people closest to my heart!"

 _... we are her friends._


	8. Law

Precht fell to his knees as he watched Mavis walk into the spiraling plumes of dust and debris. _She would sacrifice everything for her friends._

Suddenly, gold began to fall from the sky.

Precht watched in awe as he try to scoop some into his hands, only to watch it fall through his palms. Crowds of villagers attempted to do the same, until the dragon lumbered towards them, smashing through stone buildings.

A man raised his hands and began to yell, "Everybody get to safety! The gold is just an illusion!"

 _Illusion... Mavis! Mavis is trying to distract Yuri!_ _Even if he turns into a monster, a treasure hunter will always be attracted by the sparkle of gold._

Precht backed away from the dragon. _The last thing I need to do is get in the way of that thing._

The dragon lunged forward to snap up the gold, only for it to disappear into showers of golden sparkles that reflected the sunlight, and nothing more. The dragon roared in anger, snapping its jaws and crushing buildings with its monstrous claws.

 _Well, now I'm glad I ran._

Before long, however, a golden pillar of light parted the sky and lit up the town.

The sound of crumbling buildings and screaming children faded, and all that was left was the sound of her voice.

"Law!"

* * *

Precht and Warren found them later, in the rubble of the dragon's bleached and crumbling bones. Yuri, unconscious but unscathed. The Tenrou Orb, shattered into billions of purple shards.

And Mavis, her dress torn and bloodied, her dull, unseeing eyes staring blankly at the sky above.


	9. The White Spell

It had been a day since that fateful pillar of light parted the clouds, and still, the whole town was frantic with worry.

Mavis lay in a comfortable bed in the Segar Inn, eyelids closed but still as unresponsive as she had been the day before.

The hallway was filled with flowers, food, stuffed animals, and boxes upon boxes of gifts for Mavis. The entire town clustered around the inn, the townspeople squeezing into her little room.

Three doctors stood at her bedside, solemn faces etched with the same fear and dread that had taken over the town.

"Is there anything you can do for her, doctor?"

"She saved our whole city from the dragon, so you gotta save _her_!"

"She _is_ gonna pull through this, right doc?"

The middle doctor, ancient and proud of his supposedly wondrous abilities, stroked his beard. "I wish I could give you all a definitive answer, but even _I_ won't understand why she won't wake up."

Another doctor spoke up. "We could run some tests, but I'm afraid there's not much else we can do here."

The final doctor added, "The only thing we know for certain is that using that incredible spell put her in that state."

The man by Mavis' bedside, the one who had helped them start the uprising against Blue Skull, clenched his jaw. He grabbed a doctor by the shirt and began to yell angrily, "Did you bring your kid brother in here dressed as a doctor? We get that the spell knocked her out, but what I wanna know is why she ain't waking up!"

"Like we told you several times, we don't have any idea!"

"You jerks are nothing but a bunch of useless quacks!"

The man released the doctor, but the doctor was already infuriated. "How dare you speak to me like that?" The doctor attacked the man, and the confrontation evolved into one with flying fists.

* * *

On the other side of the same room, divided a screen, Precht sat alone by Yuri's bed.

He could hear them on the other side, beseeching the doctors to save Mavis. She had saved their lives, and they wanted to do everything in their power to save hers.

* * *

Warren wrenched upon the door. "I'm back. How's Mavis doing?"

The ancient doctor answered. "She still hasn't opened her eyes."

A wizened old lady stepped through the door beside him.

The doctors peered down at her. "And who might this be?"

"She's one of the elders from a nearby town's wizard guild."

She croaked, her throaty voice quivering. "I'm basically a doctor who specializes in treating wizards injured by magic. Now, let me have a look!" The crowd of people parted for her as she made her way to Mavis' bed. "Well, this little thing brought down a giant dragon?" She placed a hand on Mavis' forehead, and her fingers began to glow. "I can't believe someone so young used such a tremendous spell. That great blast of light was visible all the way over in our town, we all saw it."

A heavy silence fell over the entire room as the elder fell silent as well, her hand still alight with the strange glow.

"Well?" Precht pushed his way towards the bed and strode towards the lady. "Is she alright? Say something!"

Warren placed a hand on his shoulder, and he realized that he had been yelling. "Let her concentrate!"

The elder's eyes flew open, and everyone heard her sharp intake of breath. Her face contorted in horror.

"What's wrong?" Precht demanded through clenched teeth.

The lady retracted her withered hand. "This is worse than I could have imagined."

"What is it?!" Precht didn't give a damn if he was yelling now. "Please, you have to tell us!" _In a sense, treasure hunters were like thieves. They rarely ever asked, they took. But he would beg for her. Again and again and again._

"She used a dangerous, ancient branch of black magic. That spell - it should have been lost to mankind eons ago. It is the white spell of absolute justice... Law."

"Will she be alright? When will she wake up? What's happened to her?"

The elder shook her head gravely. "I do not know all the consequences of her actions, but this much I do know: she will never grow again."


	10. Forever Small

Mavis woke later that afternoon. She blinked blearily, as if she were surprised to see the sunlight streaming through the window, and weakly muttered a quiet hello to the villagers by her bedside. The little girl flung her arms around Mavis' neck, and the entire room erupted in celebration.

All the people in the room that is, except for Precht and Warren. They weren't exactly ones to erupt in mad cheering on any occasion, but Mavis' smile only reminded them that her smile, her face, her physical body, would never change.

Once the townspeople left, Precht paced back and forth around the room. _How? How do we tell her that she will never grow? She will never age, never change, never grow old. She will never share her life with anyone, never create a family of her own. Her physical body will never catch up to her mind, and she will be trapped, forever trapped in her own body._

Finally, he noticed her piercing emerald eyes following his twisting path around the room, and he abandoned his pacing to sit by her bedside. "Are you... do you feel alright?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine! Just hungry as a bear - do you think I'll get any taller if I stuff myself with food?"

Precht winced and looked up at Warren. _I can't do this. I can't tell her._

Warren pulled up another chair to sit next to Precht. "Mavis... we called in a specialist from a nearby town's wizard guild. She said that the powerful spell you used had some severe consequences."

Mavis blinked. "Well, yes, I knew that when I used it."

Precht and Warren stared at her in shock.

She shrugged. "The man who taught us magic taught me that spell. He said that if I didn't wait ten years for it to mature before using it, there would be terrible consequences. But, it was a risk I was willing to take for Yuri. Speaking of Yuri, how is he doing?"

Precht gestured vaguely at the divider. "He's on the other side of the room. Doctors say he's unconscious, should be waking up within the next few days."

"Alright then." Mavis grinned. "Can we go get some food now?"

"Hang on for a moment." Precht fetched a basket of bread and roasted fish from Mavis' pile of presents outside the hall. "The villagers left you a lot of stuff while you were out. Tokens of their appreciation."

As Mavis munched contentedly on a slice of hearty raisin bread, Warren awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, the consequences of that spell you used. Did you know what they would be?"

Mavis paused momentarily to swallow and answer his question. "Actually no, I have no idea! I feel fine right now, so I can't tell if anything actually happened."

Precht and Warren glanced uneasily at each other.

"Well, Mavis... the specialist said that you would never grow."


	11. Land of the Living

Warren and Precht sat together on the hill overlooking the city of Magnolia. The battered town was already beginning to recover, and today, the streets were outlined in little bright lights that kept the darkness of the night sky at bay.

Precht fidgeted under his cloak. "It's a good thing Yuri isn't awake."

Warren agreed. "Yeah, that poor guy. He's gonna have one heck of a wake up call, that's for sure."

"Well, I just hope he doesn't take the news too hard."

Warren's murmured sound of agreement was all he received in response.

* * *

Yuri's eyes blinked open to see Warren looming over him. "Welcome back to the land of the living!"

Yuri looked at the ceiling for a moment before nearly jumping out of bed. "Where are we?"

Warren smiled down at him. "An inn, in Magnolia."

Precht walked into the room. "Yuri, you're awake! Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah." Yuri moved to stand up but found that he couldn't. He clutched his head and groaned.

"What's the matter?"

"Ah, it's probably nothing. I just have a really killer headache, that's all."

Warren sighed. "Well, it makes sense, considering what happened. The Tenrou Orb's curse took you over completely. It was ugly."

Yuri nodded and moved to lay back in bed, before lunging forward and gripping Warren's collar. "Where's Mavis?!"

Precht and Warren simply stood there, unmoving.

Yuri let the fabric of Warren's shirt slip through his fingers. "Please... say something! Where is she?"

"Well, technically she isn't harmed." Warren eased Yuri back into bed. "But she had to use an insanely powerful spell. It was the only way to break the curse."

Warren looked down at his boots, and Precht continued for him. "All of the doctors in the city examined her, and no one could do anything. We even brought in a specialist from a nearby wizard guild."

"What are you getting at?!" growled Yuri, "Why won't you tell me what happened to her?!"

Precht glared at him and snapped, "We're telling you everything we know!" He exhaled deeply. "Just... calm down and listen."

"The specialist said that this was the price she must pay for using such a dangerous spell before she mastered it. Mavis' body... won't grow any more. She'll stay as small as she is now for the rest of her life."

The horror on Yuri's face was unparalleled as he launched himself out of his bed and out the door.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To find Mavis!"


End file.
